Shallow wetlands are essential in the early life history of a number of fish species (Jaworski and Raphael 1978) and are important as nursery grounds for fishes of inland lakes including transient Great Lake species (Mansfield 1984). Inland and coastal wetlands are important for fish production, because they contain shallow water habitats and aquatic plants used by spawning adults and by young fishes for growth and survival (Priegel 1970, Fago 1977, Mansfield 1984, and Liston et al. 1985). Aquatic plant beds in these shallow water habitats provide habitat diversity (Savitz 1981), complexity (Crowder and Cooper 1982), protection (Mittelbach 1981, Werner, Hall, and Werner 1978, Savino and Stein 1982), and food (Pardue and Nielsen 1979, Gilinsky 1984, Keast 1985). The Western Basin of Lake Erie once contained an extensive system of coastal marshes that served as spawning areas and nursery grounds for many different fish species. Today, many of these fish species have been reduced in number or have been extirpated (Trautman 1976). Reduction in fish populations is partially attributed to loss of aquatic plants and spawning and nursery habitats, due to alteration of coastal wetlands. Great Lake coastal areas not preserved and maintained as wetlands are now either drained and managed for agriculture or urbanized and contain little original vegetation and habitat (Great Lakes Basin Commission 1975).

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